pratikkk

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Imation NYSE: IMN is a US based multi-national corporation that designs, manufactures, sources or markets a wide range of recordable data storage media and consumer electronics products.
The company is a 1996 spin off of 3M and is headquartered in Oakdale, Minnesota. The company originally consisted of former 3M divisions involved in the design, manufacture and sales of data storage, medical imaging, printing, photographic film, optical and specialty paper products. Imation has since sold all but its core data storage media products business.
The company has been involved in the development of many technological improvements in data storage, such as the introduction of the first magnetic tape in 1947, the first quarter inch tape cartridge for data storage (QIC) in 1971 and the 3.5-inch (89 mm) floppy diskette in 1984. The company now has a market presence in more than 100 countries.

Employers that develop and implement workplace strategies that address create fair workplaces for GLBT employees can enhance corporate reputation, increase job satisfaction and boost employee morale. Results include enhanced corporate reputation and increased business opportunities, employee recruitment, retention and productivity, and decreased legal vulnerability.

Employee Recruitment, Retention and Productivity
Many businesses do not know they have any gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender employees. In truth, GLBT employees spend a good portion of their energy hiding and compartmentalizing their personal lives so as to avoid potentially negative consequences.

And while employers might prefer that all of their employees kept their personal lives out of the office, many of the casual conversations that occur daily make it extremely difficult to do so. Employees socialize by asking how their weekends were or asking about friends and family, and employers often have events to which families or significant others are invited. Whether or not a GLBT employee has a partner or children, these situations prove difficult and sometimes painful to avoid. Having inclusive protections and benefits are keystone practices to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.

On adding GLBT protections to Ernst & Young’s policies:
“It was obvious that they had to make decisions every day on whom they could talk to and how much of themselves they could bring to work. I can’t imagine coming to work every day and feeling afraid. It just felt wrong. Do the percentages. [Irrespective of their] ethnicity, gender or GLBT [identity], people are our top asset.”
— John Ferraro, senior vice chair, Ernst & Young LLP (Fortune Article, p7)

Given the anticipated short- and long-term labor shortages, particularly among skilled labor, many employers are turning to associations for GLBT students and professionals.

“Over the next 10 years we’re going to need anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 new employees. We can’t afford to turn our back on anyone in the talent pool.”
— Hayward Bell, chief diversity officer, Raytheon (Fortune Article p5)

Progressive workplace policies can improve recruitment and retention, which is critical to the success of a company. “An essential element of Imation’s EEO policy states that it will not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation,” said former Imation CEO William T. Monahan. “In order to compete effectively for these individuals, the company has adopted policies that it believes provide a diverse, safe and productive work environment.”
Training new workers is costly, and a huge waste if employees are leaving or being fired for reasons that have nothing to do with job performance.
Work is not merely a means to meet basic needs. Many people take pride in their labor and seek emotional satisfaction from meeting the challenges work can offer. GLBT employees who are not valued or safe at work may not able to perform to the best of their abilities, which can affect the performance of an entire team.


"To ensure that their data is securely backed up, stored offsite and quickly recovered, SMBs may invest in expensive equipment and software, staff to manage the process and additional offsite services," said James Milligan, general manager, Commercial and OEM Division, Imation.

"Unfortunately, many SMBs simply don't -- or can't -- implement appropriate data backup and protection processes, which are critical to ensuring an SMB's business continuity. Similarly, large organizations have high-end backup processes for their headquarter locations, but their field employees or individual retail stores may not have as robust backup solutions for this critical data. Imation's DataGuard Vault online backup and recovery service gives both types of organizations an easy and affordable option to
ensure that their company's data is always backed up and fully recoverable."

The newest in a line of data protection offerings from Imation, such as the Imation DataGuard rf(TM) tape tracking system and StorSentry(TM) data integrity protection software, Imation DataGuard Vault online backup and recovery service includes the following features:
-- Class-One Data Centers: Highly-secure, nationwide data centers that
meet stringent criteria, including:
-- Telecommunications available from all major carriers to ensure there
are no outages.
-- Operated and staffed on-site 24x7x365 by Network Operations Center
(NOC) engineers and DataGuard Vault online backup and recovery
service technical personnel.
-- 24x7x365 proactive network monitoring, facility monitoring, facility
access, video surveillance and security.
-- Replication in distant locations.
-- One-week back-up power supply capacity.
-- Temperature and humidity controlled; fire suppression system.

-- Agentless Architecture: One machine can run the backup/restore software
for an entire network, eliminating the need to install and update the
software on every computer.

-- Bare Metal Restore: In the event of a computer failure or theft, data
can be completely restored to new hardware.
-- "Local Restore" Option: A snapshot of all data backed up to the vault
can also be stored on the local network - great for customers who
frequently need to restore certain types of data, such as financial
data or email.
-- Disaster Recovery: Customers can retrieve their data from the distant
data center in a variety of methods:
-- Imation can send the customer's data on media for restoring.
-- A customer can utilize a virtual private network (VPN) to access the
vault and begin restoring.
-- The customer can physically come to the data center and use one of
the disaster recovery suites.
-- Dependable Support: 24x7x365 support from a team with backup and
recovery storage integration experience and a variety of technical
qualifications and certifications. Additional utilities allow customers
to perform "fire drills" to practice the backup and recovery processes
so they are more comfortable should a real situation occur.

"Many small businesses today face similar large business challenges when it comes to backup, data retention and disaster recovery. Frequently without the expertise of an IT staff, small businesses need a backup and data protection plan that is easy to administer with products and services that are easy to use on an on-going basis," said Greg Schulz, founder and senior analyst, The StorageIO Group. "Distance is critical to protecting data in the event of a local or regional disaster. With remote online backup and recovery services, businesses insure that their critical information is safely stored and accessible at a protected off-site facility. When you combine a trusted name like Imation, which is synonymous with storing data, with secure class-one data centers, high-quality software and solid 24x7x365 support, customers should feel confident that their information is safe with the DataGuard Vault online backup and recovery service -- using it either as a standalone service or in conjunction with their entry-level tape or removable hard disk drive products."

How the Imation DataGuard Vault Online Backup and Recovery Service Works
Imation's DataGuard Vault online backup and recovery service serves as a data recovery and data business continuity plan.

The software resides on the customer's network, behind their firewall. There, data is compressed and encrypted before it is electronically sent to the off-site vault. The customer owns a unique encryption key -- ensuring anyone outside of the organization will not be able to decrypt and read the data. The data remains encrypted and compressed in flight and at rest on the vault -- providing the perfect combination of high security and cost savings.

After an initial backup is performed, the service provides continuous data protection (CDP) or event-based real-time backup of changed data to virtually eliminate the possibility of data loss. Plus, it features deduplication technology, recognizing where data is duplicated across the network and sending only one copy to the server -- saving space on the server and money for the business owner.
 
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